


Of Brothers and Bears

by dancer4813



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Cute Bear Cuddles, Minor Angst, Mostly Fluff, No Spoilers, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), Tal'dorei Campaign, Younger Twins, baby Trinket, because I am mostly incapable of writing without angst, getting-there Therapy Bear Trinket, okay - maybe more of a toddler Trinket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 16:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10136189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancer4813/pseuds/dancer4813
Summary: Someone made a post about young twins on tumblr and gave me the rough idea for this - largely just Vax becoming the uncle to a particular bear.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something happy about the twins this week, and while this isn't the happiest, they're cute and [mostly] innocent, and I hope you enjoy.

Vex’ahlia scratched behind Trinket’s ears as he rolled around, and she laughed as he pushed into her fingers, his wet nose hitting her wrist.

“Are you still intent on keeping that thing?”

Vex jumped at her brother’s voice from behind her.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” she exclaimed, heart racing. The last time she hadn’t had her guard up at their camp, she had suffered dearly. And while Trinket had ended up with them because of it, she wasn’t ready to repeat that particular trial again. “And Trinket is a bear, not a ‘thing’,” she pointed out, scooping the cub, who was now just a little under three feet long from nose to tail, into her arms.

“I know it’s a bear,” Vax said, rolling his eyes and dropping a couple rabbit carcasses onto the ground, followed by a small fox. “But it’s a  _bear,_ and it’s only going to get bigger. How do you know it won’t turn on us? No, stop that!”

Trinket had ambled over and started nosing the carcasses, and Vax nudged him away with a foot, a dagger suddenly in his hand, shining in the light of the flames and the dying sun’s rays that cut through the treetops. 

“Vax!” Vex exclaimed, even as Trinket ran back to her side. “Don’t be mean to him, he’s only a cub!” 

She fussed over Trinket for a moment, patting his head under the pretense of calming him, but also hiding her face at the sudden tears that had filled her eyes. She trusted Vax with everything, but it was just too soon...

“...eating more and more, even after only a couple weeks. And you won’t even tell me where it  _came_  from, only that it showed up - what happens when we need to go into town and it needs to stay out here? It follows you everywhere!”

Vex bit her lip and pulled Trinket into her arms, burying her face into his fur even as he whined. 

“First of all, Trinket is a  _he_ ,” she pointed out, standing up with Trinket and walking to the other side of their camp. “And secondly, he’s staying with us. I’ll bring him out hunting at some point - teach him how to catch his own food, soon enough. But right now we’re all he has and I am  _not_ leaving him behind.”

She stopped walking, Trinket still in her arms, tears threatening to spill over, and she hoped her brother hadn’t heard the pain in her voice. It was not a conversation she wanted to have right then, or possibly ever, with him. 

There was a long silence from behind her, then deliberate footfalls that she knew were purposefully loud enough for her to hear. His habit of sneaking around had its advantages, but at least he knew enough to keep from doing it all the time. 

“Vex’ahlia-” he started, once he had come up behind her. “Vex, I’m just not sure about it-him.”

He sighed, and Vex felt a sob rise in her chest. She swallowed it down harshly, then took a deep breath of Trinket’s fur, musty as it was. 

“He’s a wild animal,” Vax continued, still standing just behind her. “And while I know you’ve befriended him, who knows when he might turn on us or go savage?”

“Trinket’s not like that,” Vex replied, shaking her head and pulling it up from the furball in her arms, letting the bear cub lick her cheek. “He’s different.”

She felt a lot of things rising up inside her throat, and despite keeping her back to Vax she couldn’t keep them in. “And I know you don’t get that, but I’d love if you could give him and myself the benefit of the doubt. He’ll grow, yes, but when he’s old enough to hunt he can help me take down larger prey, and he can protect us if need be. It won’t be much longer, I’m sure - he’s already three or four months old, and-”

“Vex’ahlia,” Vax cut in, his voice low and his hand landing on her shoulder. “I trust you, I really do.”

He paused, released a deep breath, and walked around to her side. Vex kept her eyes downcast, tears still threatening to fall.

“I’m just worried,” Vax continued, fingers running up and down against her shoulder. “And I know something happened, even if you don’t want to tell me about it. I just-“

He sighed, and his hand dropped from her shoulder only for his arms to come up around either side of her and pull her into a hug.

“I won’t ask about it, if you don’t want to tell me,” he said after a moment of silence, arms still around her waist. “But I’ll listen – you know that. So if he- if Trinket turns out to be a lousy conversationalist, I’ll be here to chat. Got it?”

Vex nodded, and Vax hummed in acknowledgement, squeezing her tightly again before letting go. She noticed him running his fingers through Trinket’s fur as he pulled back though, and she found herself grinning.

“Who knows? I might even grow to love the little guy,” Vax said, reaching forward to scratch Trinket behind the ears, only to pull back when Trinket twisted around in Vex’s arms and snapped at his fingers.

Vex laughed even as Vax cursed, cradling his hand to his chest, and she let Trinket down onto the forest floor.

“Vicious, I tell you,” Vax said, eyes wide as he shook his head. “Vicious. Rabid. Out for blood-“

His monologue was somewhat stunted in effectiveness as Trinket, having noticed a moth, ran to chase after it and overbalanced, landing sideways on the ground.

“So vicious,” Vex parroted back at him, and Vax groaned.

“You’re just overcome with how cute he is,” Vax warned, but when Vex looked up to his eyes she saw a glimmer there, and a barely-concealed smirk on his face. “It’s a common mistake. If you turn your back he might pounce!”

Trinket chose that moment to rush forward and headbutt Vax’s shin, then walked around his ankles and pushed against him, almost like a cat.

“He’s attacking!” Vax exclaimed, jumping away from the bear cub and flailing his arms in the air. “Run! Run for your lives!”

Vex laughed, a snicker turning into more intense chuckles as Trinket looked toward Vax, then back at Vex, cocking his head as if asking: ‘Is this normal?’

“Maybe if you start making dinner he won’t attack you every other moment,” Vex pointed out, and Vax sighed, dropping his arms to his sides.

“Well, think you can help?” he asked, gesturing toward the fire, which was burning out, and the three animal carcasses on the ground. “I know you’re weird about skinning them, but maybe you could gather some more wood and find some herbs? I think we’re almost out, and you’re better at spotting things than I am.”

“I _suppose_ ,” Vex agreed, blinking back any remaining tears as she walked forward to grab a bag to carry what she would find. It was almost ridiculous how well Vax understood her reticence about Trinket’s true origins, and she was glad she could still count on him to make her laugh at her lowest. “Just have those ready when I get back, yeah? I’m starving.”

“I’m the one who’s growing!” Vax protested, looking up from the rabbit he’d started to skin.

“So am I!”

“Sure thing, Stubby.”

“Vax!”

She threw her bedroll at him, but he ducked and it soared over his head, hitting a tree behind him.

“Gotta be faster than that to hit me!” Vax said, only for Trinket to bowl him over a moment later, biting at the partially-skinned rabbit in his hands. “Hey!”

“Trinket!” Vex laughed, calling him over to her. “Trinket, leave him alone!”

When the bear cub didn’t come, she ran over, still laughing, and picked him up.

“C’mon, buddy, let’s go find some wood for the fire and some herbs so Uncle Vax can cook the meat really nice,” she said, scratching the skin on the back of his neck.

“Uncle- Uncle Vax?!” Vax exclaimed, shaking his head as he sat back up. “Hang on-“

“What else is he going to call you?” Vex asked, glancing back over her shoulder with a smirk as she started off into the forest.

“He’s a bear, not your son!” he called after her.

“Same difference!” she shot back, grinning at his confused expression as she slipped away through the trees, her heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to see me recommend fanfics, cry with me about the cast and NPCs alike, or watch me spaz out during the episodes check out my main blog: [dancer4813](http://www.dancer4813.tumblr.com), or my writing tumblr: [dancerwrites](http://www.dancerwrites.tumblr.com).


End file.
